The ability to perform simultaneous acquisition of high-resolution broadband seismic data, along with an EM survey, from a single vessel, could play a major role in advancing the use of EM technology from exploration to field development.

A field study shows the important role that geophysical uncertainty has in evaluating field development concepts in early stages. Working with the entire uncertainty range could, early on, rule out some options, and converge to a certain solution, relative to a serial, deterministic approach.By having subsurface and facilities teams working closely together in parallel, data and information exchange, in the early phases, becomes a valuable asset.

A model integrating 2D seismic and potential field data has generated an increased subsurface understanding of southern Africa. The approach demonstrates a method of building a structural framework for exploration activities, which can be applied to large areas of frontier petroleum basins.

Features

Flattening global drilling indicates that the upstream industry may be reaching its capacity limits. Nevertheless, as crude prices remain strong, high activity levels are boosting production and reserves.

Every manufacturer, from small- and mid-size operations to large global enterprises, feels constrained by IT bandwidth, aging infrastructure assets and application engineering resources. Cloud-based computing can help alleviate those constraints.

While the byzantine Niobrara shale that underlies a substantial portion of the U.S. Rockies, and beyond, is not for the technologically skittish, recent production data suggest that the resolute independents, who dominate the liquids-rich play, are steadily getting a handle on its unrivaled geological complexities.

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is researching the impact of unconventional gas development on ecosystems, while also developing technologies and management strategies to mitigate environmental impacts.

World Oil’s very own High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT) Drilling and Completions Conference is to be held in Houston later this month. The annual event will take place on Sept. 26–27, at the Norris Conference Centers-CityCentre. This industry-leading event will provide a forum for oil and gas professionals, who are looking to learn more about the latest developments in technology from the HPHT arena.

Brazil is implementing an ambitious plan for 2013–16, to improve the efficiency of its Campos basin fields and begin production from its massive pre-salt finds in the Santos basin. The domestic production target for oil, liquids and natural gas by 2016 is 3 MMboed. Over this time period, the exploration and production segment in Brazil will require an investment of $131.6 billion, of which 69% will be allocated for production development, 19% for exploration and 12% for infrastructure. Investment in the pre-salt cluster will account for 51% of total E&P investment.

To anticipate and increment oil production, subsea gas-liquid separation is the most advanced of available technologies for deepwater applications. As shown in two case studies, Integrated Production Modeling is the best way to estimate incremental oil recovery and compare with other artificial lift technologies.

An innovative hybrid bit design has been tested successfully in Brazil’s pre-salt formations. The hybrid mitigated geological/formation uncertainties, and eliminated the need for several trips to replace damaged bits.

Columns

When Col. Edwin Drake drilled the world’s first commercial well in 1859 on the bank of Oil Creek in Pennsylvania, all he had to go on was a hunch, based on tar seeps in the creek and oil shows that were encountered in wells being drilled for salt brine.